Bottle-capping machine.



l. SHARP.

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

v LSHARP. BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

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v |Nv NToR UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

JOHN SHAB?, F OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA BOTTLE-enema mcrmm.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

Application led March 1917. Serial No. 156,345.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN SHARP, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Oakmont, in the county .of Allegheny Aand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bottle- Ca ping Machines; and I do hereby declare t e following to be a full, clear and exact description thereof. A

Myv invention relates to a bottle-capping machine.

The invention relates more particularly to the mechanism for bringing the caps into 'to a bottle, the previous bottle on which the cap has already been applied is being held in position for the screwing-on operation.

The invention is illustrated in connection 'with suitable cap-sealing mechanism, that which is shown being the Owens type of machine, the operation of which is well understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1, is an end view, partly in section2 of a duplex ma chine embodying m invention; Fig. 2 is Aa horizontal sectiona view of the cap and bottle-holding mechanism for one-half of the machine, the section being taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a like view showin -the parts in holding position; Fig. 4 is a etail view of the cross-head of the :nachine which carries' the capping-plunger and screwcliuck;and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5, Fig. 3.

In the drawin the numeral 2` designates a power-driven s aft on which are mounted4 thecams 3 and 4 having the camways 5 and 6 respectively. An arm 7 pivoted at 8 in the frame 9 has the roller 10, which engages the camway 5 of the cam 3. The arm 7 is connected to the rod 11 and the oppositeend of said rod is'connected to the lever 12 pivoted to the bracket 13. The lower end of the lever 12 is connected to the link 14 connected by the in 15 to the slide 16, which moves in the gui e 17. 1 A pin 18 has a collar 19, which engagesthe slide 16, the forward end 20 of said pin is connected to the cap-holder 22.

A s ring 24 is interposed between the caphol er and the slide to permit the cap-holder to yield slightly when the cap is acted on by the lunger, which forces the cap down out of t e holder onto the bottle.

' A chute 25 is provided to feed the caps 26 to the holder2 and in order to support the cap temporarily which is brought into position to be held by the holder. I provide the late 27. This 'late is pivoted at 28 to the ame and a s ort arm 29 connects said plate through link connection to the outer end of the rod 30, moving in guides 31 and connected by the strap 32 to the slide 16. A spring 33 is interposed between the stra 32 and t e nuts 34 on the rod 30. The ro 30 has the handle 35, and the operator by grasping the handle 35 and forcin in the rod 30 may operate the plate 27 by and when clesired, although as hereinafter set forth, the plate is crdinarily worked automatically by `the movement of'the slide 16.

The arm36 is carried by the in 15.` Connected to the arm 36 is the pin 37, which connects the slide 38 moving in guides 39. The slide carries the jaw 38a which is adapted to engage and hold the bottle against an abutment 44a durin the positioning of the cap on the bottle, an an arm 42.is connected to the slide which carries the jaw 43, which coperates with the stationary holder 44 for holding the bottle while the cap is being screw seated. The spring 40 surrounds the pin 37, being interposed between the slide 38 and the nuts on said pin to cushion the slide. By the above construction, it will be apparent that the movement of the lever 12 operates simultaneously the cap-holder and have 'illustrated being well-known chucking and plunger mechanism for capping machines; and I do not wish to limit my invention to a machine em loying this type of capping mechanism, as it will be apparent other mechanism may be employed for effecting this o eration ofthe machine. My

invention is i ustrated in connection witha duplex machine in which two rows of bottles are having the caps applied simultaneously,-the bottles traveling through the l 1. the section of the machine on `une whic only one plunger of p c through one chuck of the or chucks being in advance of e pair cn gers. ln Fig, 4 the relative position y plungers and chucks is shown icngitudinany of the nfiachinec The plnngers and chucks are carried by a cross-head 45, which is mounted to recipro cate in a guide 46. rl`his cross-head 45 has the pin and roller 47, which engages the camway 6 of the cam 4. Mounted in the cross-head is the plunger 48, which is adapted when lowered by movement of the cross-head to force the cap onto the bottle.

A bracket 49 projects out from the crosshead 45, and said bracket carries a suitable chuck 50, which is mounted on the vertically-movable rod 5l, which is slidable in a sleeve 5la carried by ball bearings in the bracket 49. This rod is keyed to the sleeves 52 and 51a. Sleeve 52 has the gear 53 at the upper end thereof which engages a pinion 54, which is keyed to a power-shaft 55, which is independently driven, the sleeve 52, rod 51, and the chuck 50 being driven thereby. When the cross-head is lowered, the chucks and the plungers are simultaneously lowered therewith, the chuck being driven continuously by the above-described drive connections.

When the machine is in operation, the caps are fed into the chute 25 and the apparatus is so timed that when the cap comes into position resting on the plate 27, the lever l2 is operated to move the cap-holder 22, Vthe holder 38B. and the bottle-holder 48 simultaneously,-the one to engage the cap, and the other, the bottle in advance thereof, which has already had the cap placed thereon by movement of plunger 48.

This movement of the cap-holder acts through the strap 32 to advance the rod 30, which acts through the connections de scribed to move the plate 27 from position under the cap. The cap-plunger 48 and the screwing-chuck are then lowered into position, the cap-plunger forcing the cap down onto the bottle and thescrewingchuck engaging the bottle already lcapped, and through the connections described a rotary movement is imparted to the chuck to screw the cap thereon. As soon as this has been accomplished, the plunger 48 and the chuck 50 are lifted and the lever 12 reversed to withdraw bottle-holder and the cap-holder, while the same time, the plate moved back to position to sup ori; the neat cap which i es down the chine ii position to be held operation or the cap--holden in a ma characte combination *L reciy ger, a cap-holder, temr the cap, means for advanc holder into engagen'ient w' li means actuated by the movement of .c holder for moving said support out of the way as said cap-holder advances 2. ln a machine of the character described, the combination of a reciprocating cap plunger, a temporary support' for the cap, a yielding cap-holder, means for reciprocating said cap-holder, and connections between the holder and said temporary support whereby said support is moved by the move-l ment of the cap-holder from beneath said cap as said cap-holder advances and is moved back into position as said cap-holder withdraws.

3. ln a machine of the character described, the combination of a reciprocating capplunger, a temporary support for the cap, a reciprocating cap-holder having a yielding cap-engaging jaw, means for moving said cap-holder to bring said jaw into engagement with said cap, and connections between the holder and said support whereby said support is moved by the movement of the cap-holder from beneath said cap as said holder advances and is moved back into position as said holder withdraws.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a reciprocating capplunger, a swinging plate temporarily supporting the cap, a reciprocating cap-holder having a yielding capengaging jaw, means for moving said cap-holder to bring said jaw into engagement with said cap, and connec tions between the holder and said plate whereby said plate is swung by the movement of the cap-holder from beneath said cap as said holder advances and is swung back into position as said holder withdraws,

5. l'n a machine of the character described, the combination of a reciprocating capplunger, a pivotally-mounted plate to temporarily support the cap, a reciprocating cap-holder, means for moving said holder into engagement with the cap, a rod, connections between said plate and said rod, and connections between said rod d said means for reciprocating said cap-l 6. lin a machine of the cha I:ter described, the combination of a reciprocating capplunger, a pivotally-mounted plate temporarily supporting the cap, a reciprocating cap-holder, means for mm fg said holder into engagement with the ca..1 a longtudinally-movable rod, connections between said rod and said plate, connections between said rod and sald means for reciprocatm said cap-holder, and means for moving saidy rod independently of said cap-holder.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a reciprocating capplunger, a temporary support forthe'cap,

aslidably-mounted cap-holder, a slide, coning and cap-screwing mechanisms, of a re- 15 ciprocating cmbined cap and bottle-holder, a reciprocating bottle-holder in advance of said rst holder, and means forpmoving said holders simultaneously `to hold said cap and said bottles while being acted on by said zo seating and screwing mechanisms.

In testimony whereof I, the saldJoHN SHARP, have hereunto set my hand. p

JOHN 'SlillARPlA Witnesses :l I

Roer. D. ToTrnN, JOHN F. WILL. 

